Gentle Finds

Collage artist Stephanie Pierson is near and dear to my heart, and after listening to this episode, she will surely be to you as well. She has an interesting life story that led to her discovering a completely new side of herself later in life. Her story is one of love, loss, survival, healing, and blossoming. For most of her life, she experienced a stable and loving home life, raising two sons with her beloved husband,  Greg, who she met in her twenties.  As they neared retirement, she lost Greg suddenly and unexpectedly. From that point on, her life was never the same: she endured three types of cancer, and more unexpected heartbreak. Creating art was how she survived, and rediscovered herself. And it was thanks to a special person who lit a fire and a love within her,  that she was able to keep going. Tommy, an artist himself, was the special person in Stephanie's life who encouraged her to find that expressive part of herself.  And even though he is no longer with us, their connection will always remain, and she continues her art to honor him and the love they shared.As her life was turned upside down, she began making collages, mostly of women, forging a new path, and getting to know this new woman she was becoming. As she transformed, so her art unveiled itself. She underwent surgeries, and magazines were torn up and reworked into intuitive female companions. Her work is an "exploration of the larger mystery of the female form." Each one of her paper dolls as she calls them, is a part of who she is, a shuffling around of her subconscious. She is a strong and inspiring woman, and her story is one worth listening to if you need some motivation to keep going. At her lowest points, she didn't believe life had anything more to offer, and she is here to tell you it does, and that you are always more than you think you are. She makes the point that we are all collages when we reflect on our lives. We have all had people who have been cut out of our lives, paths taken and redirected, paths cut too short. But in the end, we do our best to make that life beautiful. It's hard, it's a process, but it's worth it.Stephanie credits her family and friends for helping her get through her hardest moments. She has faith that Greg, “would be thrilled” to see her art and witness this chapter in her life. When I think of Stephanie, I think of someone who knows how to build community, and Greg was absolutely half of that picture. As he said , “'Nothing in this life matters more than love and community and knowing we are not alone." Connect with Stephanie PiersonWebsite  ➡️   https://www.stephaniepiersonart.com/_______________________________________________///Follow Gentle Finds

Let the music bind us once again."The ears are always on. You can shut your eyes, but you cannot shut your ears...The ears are always listening." - Dr. Kathleen HowlandWhen do you listen to music, and why? What music do you choose? Where does it take you?  We all have our own personal playlists, but Dr. Kathleen Howland invites us to think more deeply about our connection to music and how we can use it to heal our hearts, minds, and even our bodies.  Having worked for nearly 40 years in the field of music therapy, Kathleen is convinced that music is a central part of the human experience. In this talk, she takes us through some of her more personal experiences and how she has used music as a tool in life's most fragile moments. Speaking with Kathleen made me want to feed this part of myself. After listening to her, you'll want to buy tickets to a concert, step outside of your musical comfort zone, and simply feel what happens to your body when your ears are listening. It's a comfort to know that no matter what's going on in your life, you've got music.As Kathleen says, music is beauty with a biological rationale.About Dr. Kathleen Howland:Dr. Kathleen Howland, is a board certified music therapist and licensed speech language pathologist. For the past 35+ years, she has worked with a variety of clinical populations using music to enhance speech, language, cognition and movement. She teaches courses at Berklee School of Music and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and she's developed a specialization in neuroscience as the biological rationale for why music is effective and necessary in educational and medical settings. She has presented keynote lectures and workshops nationally and internationally specializing in physician and nursing education. You may have seen her TedXTalk How Music Can Heal Our Brain and Heart.----CONTENT ----------------------00:00 - Introduction00:52 - Growing awareness of music therapy3:04 - What is music therapy?5:56 - Music counteracts stress6:42 - Did music contribute to our success as a species?9:09 - Music, the brain and education 24:52 - Music and neuroscience28:45 - Music therapy in hospitals34:44 - Choosing therapeutic music36:05 - Kathleen's cancer journey39:28 - A memorable hospice experience with music therapy46:38 - Mental health: what to do without a music therapist?51:21 - What is your music living will?52:36 - Music Therapy Tales for more information54:06 - Music from womb to tomb_______________________________________________///Follow Gentle Finds

To lessen the stress in parenting, focus on relationship.  Ryan Allen, also known as preschool therapist on social media channels, gives us a crash course on gentle parenting. He explains that the gentle parenting style has actually existed for a long time (as authoritative parenting), but has only recently been branded with the name gentle. We speak about how authoritative is the middle-ground of parenting, with authoritarian and permissive styles on the two extreme ends of the spectrum, and why gentle parenting gives the best outcomes, and helps us have a more peaceful household.  While it seems like power struggles are an inevitable part of the parent/child relationship, Ryan explains how some of the battles can be avoided. By simply implementing a few gentle techniques,  parents can improve their relationship with their child, and liberate themselves from some of our daily frustrations. In this conversation with Ryan, we feel the weight lifted off our shoulders in real-time, and better, easier parenting seems possible with his guidance.About Ryan Allen:Ryan is  independently licensed by the state of Ohio as a Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and an Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC).  Connect with Preschool Therapist:Website: Ryanallencounseling.com TikTok: @preschooltherapyInstagram: @preschooltherapist----CONTENT ----------------------00:00 - Introduction1:14 - What is preschool therapy?2:49 - Gentle parenting4:11 - 3 categories: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive12:02 - The Whole-Brain Child15:48 - Small moments make an impact20:37 - Encourage emotional expression24:17 - Negative behaviors - what to do25:32 - Children and grief26:38 - Kids and nighttime boundaries28:42 - Timeouts, Time-ins, Calming corners33:46 - Teaching consent with friends and relatives38:16 - Labeling our kids40:30 - Desensitized to "no"41:49 - Balancing the "favorite" parent43:18 - When kids lash out45:00 - Social media is a paradigm shift for parenting50:24 - Ryan's journey_______________________________________________///Follow Gentle Finds

Dr. James Mckenna discusses his book, “Introducing breastsleeping - a new understanding of humanity's time-honored sleeping and feeding arrangement: Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions.”  We speak about the mother-baby environment, and the myriad benefits (mental and physical) that come from keeping the mother-baby unit together. Dr. James Mckenna is the leading expert on mother-infant sleep in the United States. He founded and directed the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame - the first of its kind to study the physiology and behavior of cosleeping parents and infnats. He has appeared on NBC, CNN, ABC, The Today Show, and NPR, and is a global voice on the relationship between bedsharing, breastfedding and SIDS. With the birth of his son, he and his wife discovered that their readings about how to care for infants were steering them directly in opposition with everything that seemed to them, natural, and instinctive. In his view, we are built for family ties, connection, and wired for a deeply important bond with our mother or caretaker. The healthy baby's “premature” body at infancy is still incredibly dependent on the mother's body as its environment. And for these reasons, among others, Mckenna argues that human babies are not physically ready for our culture of putting a newborn baby in a separate room, whereby we expect them to learn independence in a crib, away from mother.Connect with Dr. James McKenna Twitter ➡️: https://twitter.com/drjamesmckennaWebsite ➡️: https://cosleeping.nd.edu/----CONTENT ----------------------00:00 Introduction02:08 Primates and human babies09:57 The fourth trimester12:00 Babies don't manipulate14:13 Cosleeping isn't for everyone18:19 Defining cosleeping23:05 Cosleeping bassinets24:36 A carrying species26:36 The importance of touch28:00 Breathing and SIDS32:17 Cry it out35:10 The idea of a "good" baby37:47 The mother is the habitat42:48 Evolution and world cultures44:14 SIDS49:28 The medical context58:08 Why guidelines are needed_______________________________________________///Follow Gentle Finds

What could be more gentle than a cloud?  A soft, puffy marshmallow world in the sky: gentle to the eye and gentle to the spirit. While so many of us feel out of sync with the fast-paced expectations of our society, sometimes it's hard to know how to slow down and just "be." Some of us may have the occasional idea there must be something out there that's more in tune with our own rhythm, something slower-paced.  Gavin Pretor-Pinney's advice? It's simple. LOOK. UP. The sky and it's visual landscape is ever-present in your life, always offering a new picture to spark your imagination. Gavin Pretor-Pinney's career has been dedicated to showing us the value in slowing down, dreaming, and giving our minds the space to imagine. Before founding The Cloud Appreciation Society, he co-founded The Idler magazine. The Idler Magazine's manifesto says,  "it is in our idleness that we become who we are....inaction is the well-spring of creation." On a trip to Rome, he realized he missed the visual variation of London's cloudy days. And from this realization, The Cloud Appreciation Society was born. He has since written several books about clouds, and has a way of bringing to our attention a part of our everyday lives, sitting there just waiting to be noticed for its awe-inspiring beauty and science. He reminds us to slow down, notice, appreciate, enjoy, and let our minds wander.  Gavin rightly points out that just because something is aimless does not make it pointless. There is value in considering clouds. Deciding to spend 5 minutes a day appreciating them is free and available to us all. This appreciation is a way to intentionally pull yourself out of the frenzy of modern life, a way to be gentle to your spirit, and make space for new kinds of thinking. Give it a try. As Gavin says, "allow your imagination to drift in the breeze."Connect with The Cloud Appreciation Society:Website ➡️ https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/----CONTENT ----------------------00:00 Introduction00:28 - The Cloud Appreciation Society Manifesto1:31 - Introducing Gavin Pretor-Pinney2:08 - Gavin's Magazine: The Idler4:15 - Blue skies in Rome12:55 - Clouds: the human experience17:32 - Cloudys: variety, wellbeing and imagination28:25 - The Cloud Appreciation Society37:35 - Cloudspotter the word40:12 - How to start cloudspotting43:13 - Has Gavin seen every type of cloud?44:56 - The Cloudspotter's Guide45:53 - Traveling across the world for a cloud50:04 - Become a member of The Cloud Appreciation Society_______________________________________________///Follow Gentle Finds

Jeffrey Masson is the author of dozens of books,  12 of which have been bestsellers. He is a well known voice in the worlds of animal rights and veganism. In this episode we discuss his most recent book, Lost Companions:Reflections on the Death of Pets, as well as some of his other books on animal behavior and emotions including, When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals, The Pig Who Sang To the Moon, Raising the Peaceable Kingdom, and The Face On Your Plate. With a history in psychoanalysis, Jeffrey has a way of chipping away at things to explore what's going on beneath the surface, and shows us through his research that animals have so much to teach us, if we would only take the time to open our eyes and hearts. Jeffrey pioneered the idea that animals are sentient beings. His scholarly approach to a subject which was for so long disregarded, helped to bring animal rights into the limelight. For any animal lover, Jeffrey's books are a comfort to read. In him, we can all find a kindred spirit.While many of us know him for his work with animals, Jeffrey lived an entirely other life before entering the animal kingdom.  Before his work with animals, Jeffrey received a PhD in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Harvard University, and then went on to complete a full clinical training program at the Toronto Psychoanalytic Institute. He became friends with Kurt Eissler, and  Freud's daughter, Anna Freud, and was invited to be the Director of the Freud Archives. There, he discovered unpublished personal letters belonging to Freud, which stirred up a huge controversy in the psychoanalytic world. This portion of the interview has been removed from the audio version of the podcast but can be found at gentlefinds.com. For anyone interested in Freud, the women's MeToo movement, and the evolution of therapy, you don't want to miss Jeffrey's whole story. You can find him at jeffreymasson.comThe Freud backstory (available on the video interview at Gentlefinds.com)Deciding to study animalsAnimals and their capacity for emotionsBorn a vegetarian, now an 80 year old veganCharlie Russell befriending wild bearsCesar Chavez and veganismAnimals open our heartsJimmy Stewart's poem: A dog named BoThoughts on hierarchyRaising the peaceable kingdomThe pig who sang to the moonEating animalsPigs are like dogsLilou the therapy pig at SFOChristian the LionBattle at KrugerFollow Gentle FindsWebsite: www.gentlefinds.comInstagram: @gentlefindspodcastSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefinds)

While living on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, Mark discovered a flock of wild parrots living outside his apartment, and developed a remarkable relationship with the birds. He became one of San Francisco's famed neighborhood characters, known as "Parrot Man." In this episode, we speak about the heartwarming story of his friendship with the birds as told in the book The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, and the award winning documentary of the same name. We explore how his unique experience gave him a new appreciation for the animal kingdom, and broadened his understanding of consciousness. Years ago, when I saw the movie, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, I knew there was something special about Mark. His humility, sincerity, and thoughtfulness are qualities that seem rare to find these days. I hope you enjoy meeting him through this talk.You can find Mark at markbittner.netThe journey to Telegraph Hill Living on the streets of San FranciscoParrots and consciousnessSuddenly famous​ Meditating and your life pathHis 3 wishes Mark and the parrotsTelegraph Hill​ Parrot personalities Anthropomorphizing parrotsMoral creatures​ Parrot man CaptivityTraining Dogan​ Leaving Telegraph Hill​ Quotes from the bookTelepathy?​ De facto scientistWriting the book, making the movie Dogan, a special friend​ Concerns for the flock​ Dharma BumFollow Gentle FindsWebsite: www.gentlefinds.comInstagram: @gentlefindspodcastSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefinds)

Dr. Qing Li speaks about his book, Forest Bathing: How Tress Can Help You Find Health and Happiness. We learn about how forest bathing can awaken all of our senses, and bring us a sense of happiness and wellbeing. Additionally, he shares with us the experiments he carried out that resulted in data that proves spending time in forests improves our physical health and prevents diseases. After listening to this talk, I'm sure you will be scheduling a trip to your local parks or forests, and you will appreciate trees in a new way. In This Episode:What is Forest BathingHow trees reduce our stressJapan's relationship with naturePoetic sounds of natureForest therapistsCity living and cortisolForest medicineAwakening the sensesHappiness: the 6th senseColors in the forestSmells in the forest: phytoncidesTouching the forestTasting the forestHow often should we forest bathe?Children and natureConnect with trees, connect with yourselfPreventing Covid-19 with forest bathingFollow Gentle FindsWebsite: www.gentlefinds.comInstagram: @gentlefindspodcastSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefinds)

Tara Cousineau discusses her book, The Kindness Cure: How The Science of Compassion Can Heal Your World. We learn how to counteract our natural negativity bias with a little daily effort, and how each one of us can become a kindness warrior. Tara is a clinical psychologist at Harvard University's counseling and mental health services, a mindfulness meditation teacher, well-being researcher and social entrepreneur. In This Episode00:58 - What happened to kindness08:49 - Being kind takes practice11:40 -  Our negativity bias12:54 - How to cultivate a positivity bias18:43 - Good leadership is kind20:37 - Mindfulness22:00 - Kindfulness: being in the present moment with heart31:32 -We're living under a S.P.E.L (self-protective empathy lethargy)34:35 - The 3 Degrees of influence ruleConnect with Tara Cousineauwww.taracousineau.comFollow Gentle FindsWebsite: www.gentlefinds.comInstagram: @gentlefindspodcastSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefinds)

Kathy Curtis is a healing artist who teaches us how a simple Haiku habit can bring new peace to each day. She talks about how she discovered the healing power of words, and how the power of writing helped her to overcome grief and loss.  In This EpisodeHow writing brings peace of mindKathy's sweet and sometimes unexpected experiences introducing new students to the world of wordsHer book, Invisible Ink, which has inspired others to write to their lost loved ones through a simple exercise that brought peace to people who thought they'd never find it. The life and death of Ryder Buck, and how his light shines onHow writing helped her comfort a friend in need (Shelley Buck)Connect with Kathy Curtiswww.kathycurtisink.comFollow Gentle FindsWebsite: www.gentlefinds.comInstagram: @gentlefindspodcastSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefinds)

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